Category: Music

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Drown

Well. That was rough. At times small sites see a suspicious/unexpected increase in traffic (or worse, bombarded by bots). A few months ago I was dealing with some configuration issues here, which made this site unreachable. More recently, some more unexpected downtime… this is why we went into “maintenance” mode. As the server also indicated, some (way too) heavy loads (at times), it was definitely time to do some “pruning”. Annnnnd, take a break.

Any other comments, opinions, ideas? Hmmm. A long marathon of Dateline NBC may make a few people appreciate what they have, destroy their assumptions/ignorance, and realize humans can’t be coded or predicted.

Those printers that Shaq promoted? They are actually pretty damn awesome. Epson did a great job with the ink bottle refill approach. “Outside the Box” and innovative. After a deep cleaning, works great for photos, scans, copies. It’s been about two years since purchase. Still going strong.

Still loving cachyos. And continue working on that linux os.

Music? Let’s go back.

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Oh hell yeah, It’s Saturday

Long week, with quite a few surprises. Time for the funk.

…as a note, will not be posting about the “gardening” after all. The blackberries and apple tree are doing very well. However, because of several days, at various times, away from the plants… plus the lack of an irrigation system and timed lighting, some plants did not make it.
Nevertheless, still a hell of a lot to do outside (live by a woods).

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Yellow.

It was about an hour away. The town was notable for both it’s university and it’s unique, for the area, park. What made it unique? An unusual series of trails, elevations, and scenic views (including rivers, falls, forestry). As I rode in that blue Buick to camp, I didn’t know what to expect.

The car had that old wood grain framing around the cassette area and center air vents. And playing through the speaker, from a beige colored audio tape, was a love song for the ages.

We entered the parking lot, of the park, and I was soon dropped off. My cabin mates were somewhat diverse. A few from the inner city, a foreign exchange student, and a few of us from rural areas.

Amazing what we all shared in common. Yet, intriguing how different we were.

In the middle of the week I was called into the camp counselor’s office. A fight had broken out between a black male and one of the other camp members. And I was a witness. It was the first time I’ve witnessed true hate in person. Aggressive, Ugly, Unapologetic.

Many of those camp members are not around to read this today. I’m sure that soccer girl would love the current FIFA madness. I’ve loved “Umbro’s” ever since we met.

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Feel Good Music

Posted last night, but later thought that the content was a little thin. Twas a good day for several different reasons. “Celebrate!”, you say? Just press play.

Night Verses -Love these dudes:

They were on tour with other bands I’ve followed in the past. Saw them at a coffee shop when they had a lead singer. They were amazing live. Been a fan ever since.

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Fiona, Alanis, Tori? …Emma Ruth Rundle

While going through some familiar label content on YouTube, found this song. Appears she’s done quite a few appearances and has been around for a while. This kind of has the feel of Fiona and Alanis, sprinkled with just a very very small portion of L7.

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How about some more Thursday?

Was introduced to this band over two decades ago by a military friend of mine (his band loved these guys). And as I attended more shows, heard more and more about them.

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Cubed.

It’s Cube. mfers.

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\m/

This probably doesn’t need any promotion. Nonetheless, was doing my sporadic concert watch for the Summer and Fall. And I must say, Louisville is still putting together some massive shows for some great entertainment. Thursday (<–them too) through Sunday a jam packed lineup with bands including (but not limited to) Tool, Rise Against, Coheed and Cambria, Thrice… Coal Chamber, Jimmy Eat World, Alien Ant Farm…

Too many bands for me to mention, but not too many for them. Louisville knows how to do it.

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Eggs Benedict.

….whipped up one of the faves this morning. Woke up around 4:30 AM, and had the urge to make Eggs Benedict.

A wonderful combination of English muffins, eggs, ham, and that special sauce. (English muffins are arguably a great alternative to bagels/white bread, depending on which you buy).

That Hollandaise is good.

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Flashbacks

A few (personal) requirements, as previously mentioned, on my media centers/devices. 1) As thin of a (base) system as possible. 2) Primary and ONLY function as a media frontend. 3) Hard wired (wireless is always an option with adapter). 4) Absolutely no signups OR sign ins required.

The SBC presented some major challenges. A media frontend was possible, but with lots of bloat…lots of load time, and very heavy OS (for this purpose). The only option was to load the (media center) software on top of one of two quite heavy (full) operating systems (tying accounts to other accounts, and doing too much unnecessary “external” networking).

Remember those two PCs I mentioned earlier? Both seeing little use? Well, I decided the best option was to go with a trusty x86_generic image, and throw it on my old custom build. And although it’s a behemoth in physical size, it’ running a very light system and is extremely fast/efficient. The moment xbmc (frontend) was transferred from game console to PC was awesome! Who would have thought the tech would be around and be relevant, still useful?

So if you have an old PC, laptop, or netbook with an HDMI out on it. It may be a better option than spending money on a smaller form factor SBC. They are getting very pricey, and support is beginning to become very limited.

Remote control worked at boot, and I was watching euronews in no time! (Along with other shows/movies I missed)

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Snippets

There was a gas station, a block down from the party house. He was far from home, I definitely was far from home. As I walked out of the convenience store, he asked me for money. He just wanted to get back home. Feeling generous, I didn’t offer him money, but a ride. Asked if he wanted to hang out for the night.

He had to go home first. And that involved driving him to his apartment complex. Entering the third floor apartment, I noticed nothing but a single room. No separate doors, not a bathroom, nothing. In the corner sat a toilet and a shower. The area poorly covered by a curtain hanging from the ceiling. He went to get something from his dresser, then asked me “Have you ever heard of a jack?”…I will not answer how I responded. But he left, and came back after about 10 minutes.

We left his apartment, and proceeded to head back to the college house. Down by the gas station. I wanted to get him away from his normal environment, show him that others would respect him just how he is. No need for nonsense or toughness.

I think he enjoyed himself, hanging out that night. Playing pool.

As I dropped him off, he thanked me. Told me that I might have motivated him to reconsider some of his preconceptions. And that made me smile.

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Go Acoustic.

In the living room, next to a file cabinet, sits a guitar case. Inside, a guitar that has stood the test of time… amazing to think of the price I bought if for years ago. Also amazing, the layers of dust it’s collected. Between the frets, the neck, on the outside of the case.

Acoustic covers are awesome. And youtube has provided some great ones many years ago, from a very talented musician. (others out there I know)

Bad Religion – You (Emily Davis)

Millencolin – No Cigar (Emily Davis)

Also found some great acoustic versions, of songs I love, from the actual band members.

Boysetsfire – The Misery Index

Thinking I may need to dust that case off soon.